The third major release of Crytek's CryEngine development platform, the company's first natively multiplatform version of the engine, has officially launched and is now available to licensees.

In addition to supporting DirectX 9 and 10 for PC, as well as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles, Crytek claims CryEngine 3 is the first "next-gen-ready" development engine, meaning it has been designed to scale up to the forthcoming game platforms. Crytek has also previously stressed that a major goal with the new engine was to deliver scalability in the other direction as well -- which has allowed it to support current consoles and less-powerful PCs, countering the tech's reputation for high player system requirements.

Along with the move to multiplatform support, CryEngine 3 includes the ability to output real-time gameplay from a single development PC to a gaming PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 simultaneously, to better allow for platform-specific optimization and comparison of assets.

"With CryEngine 3 we are releasing the best development solution available today and tomorrow," said Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli. "It is the only game engine solution that enables real-time development and can ensure teams are able to maximize their own creativity, save budget and create greater gaming experiences."

Crytek has said it will develop its upcoming shooter Crysis 2 with the new engine. No third-party licensing deals have yet been officially announced, although earlier this year, German outlets reported that GSC Game World's S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will be powered by the tech.

Past iterations of the CryEngine have been used to build Far Cry, Crysis, Crysis Warhead, Aion, Merchants of Brooklyn, and numerous serious games.

Thanks to what Crytek calls its "what you see is what you play" approach to its real-time game editor, business development director Carl Jones exclaimed, "Even producers, project managers and suits will love CryEngine 3!"